I received my cochlear implant in 2019 after a 5 year decline from moderately severe hearing loss to deafness. Really both ears but I got one implant. Johns Hopkins is my provider and told me all 3 cochlear companies were excellent and my own research indicated the same. I chose Cochlear because it is compatible with Apple products which is what I use. The company has excellent service and have been very responsive to my inquiries. Their audiologist and follow up also great. I bought a tv streamer and works beautifully especially for news. Clear. I can hear! I recently bought a mini mic and have not become adept at it. One problem is that this device works on one or other, iPhone or IPad and difficult to switch between.. I would like the mini mic to work in social settings but also on my IPad for zoom but switching device sometimes doesn’t work at all. So I’m not using. Shame on me. I have been meaning to discuss with Cochlear but haven’t.....and not seeing my audiologist during pandemic. Background noise is still a problem, or high ceilings or a breeze outside, mask is impossible, for me to hear, but all in all implant is a miracle. I would also like to recommend the film Sound of Metal, if you haven’t seen it. It is about a musician, drummer, former addict , who loses his hearing suddenly and thus his career, and ultimately gets 2 cochlear implants. It is an excellent depiction of what it’s like to lose hearing “not hear at all” and then to hear again with a CI. My husband, who has been my mainstay throughout, was enthralled at how diminished sound and then no sound was depicted and how he could relate to that. It also touches on the controversy of to hear or not....deaf community doesn’t believe it needs to be “fixed” as you are aware. I grew up with both paternal grandparents being deaf. One congenital, the other not. I believe there must be some inherited deafness on my part, besides aging, and my father was deaf earlier than I. I grew up with sign language but had no desire to relearn altho one of my children took classes in the depths of despair with my deafness. Long story for recommending cochlear implant if you are able to get one. Since I was of age and “overqualified” for deafness Medicare paid for all.